Air Akers: 49ers kicker wins honor for 2nd straight week

For the second straight week and the eighth time in his 13-year career, 49ers placekicker David Akers was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

His latest honor, however, marks the first time Akers won the award thanks to both his left leg and his left arm.

In San Francisco’s 34-27 win against the Rams last week, Akers kicked two field goals, set two NFL records and, yes, fired a 14-yard touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree on a fake field goal in the third quarter to give the Niners a 27-10 lead.

Akers set single-season NFL records for most field-goal attempts (52) and for the most points by a kicker (166), breaking the mark of 164 set by Minnesota’s Gary Anderson in 1998. Akers’ had set the NFL record for most made field goals in a season – he finished with 44 – in a 19-17 win against Seattle on Dec. 24.

Akers became the second player this season to win an NFL player-of-the-week honor in consecutive weeks, joining Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (Weeks 1 and 2). Akers also became the first player to be named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week in consecutive weeks since Chicago’s Devin Hester in 2006 (Weeks 13 and 14).